What Is the Alternative Minimum Tax or AMT?

The Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) gives an alternative set of rules to calculate your taxable income. These rules determine the minimum amount of income tax that a person at a certain income level should be required to pay. If your regular tax liability falls below the AMT amount, you will have to pay the difference as additional Alternative Minimum Tax.

Why Is There an Alternative Minimum Tax?

The AMT is a parallel tax system that Congress created as part of the Tax Reform Act of 1969. The original purpose of the AMT was to target a small number of high-income taxpayers who claim many credits and deductions and end up owing little or no income tax. The AMT was intended to keep the tax system as fair as possible and to ensure that all Americans pay at least a minimum amount of income taxes.

Who Must Pay the Alternative Minimum Tax?

You may have to pay some AMT if your adjusted income is greater than the AMT exemption amount for your filing status.

The problem with the AMT is that is was not indexed for inflation when it was introduced, and a number of middle-income taxpayers were subject to the AMT each year. In past years, Congress usually "patched" the AMT by raising the exemption amounts. Starting in 2013, the AMT was indexed for inflation.

What Are the Alternative Minimum Tax Rates?

Income that is subject to the AMT will be taxed at a rate of 26% for the first $186,300 of AMT taxable income, and at a rate of 28% for any amount of AMT taxable income above $186,300.

How Does the AMT Work?

The AMT rules require taxpayers to calculate their tax liability the normal way, and then to calculate it again based on the AMT rules. Any amount of income over the applicable AMT exemption amount may be taxed at the AMT rates. You can use nonrefundable credits to decrease the AMT that you owe.

How Do I Know If I Have to Pay the Alternative Minimum Tax?

efile.com tax will determine if you are subject to the AMT, as well as calculate your tax for you. We will select the appropriate forms for your tax return. Efiling gets your tax refund to you faster and greatly reduces the chances of making an error on the AMT or other tax calculations.